Maths

National Curriculum Purpose of Study

“Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.”

What is Reasoning in maths?

Reasoning is what happens when your child uses the skills and knowledge they have gathered to find a solution and then explain it clearly. Your child can Reason about maths problems, even if they find some maths difficult.

At Milton Court we look for many different ways for your child to explain their Reasoning – writing it, drawing it, saying it – and then use what they have shown us to plan their future learning challenges.

Reasoning often happens without being asked for – whenever someone says “ I think this…because I know…” they are Reasoning. We see this happening in Early Years and every year group beyond – you have probably seen it happening outside of school and at home.

Here are some examples of what a Reasoning question would look like:

Year 1

Is it true that?

Is it true that 3+4 = 4 + 3?

Year 2

Convince me

What digits could go in the boxes?

7 – 2 = 46

Try to find all of the possible answers.

How do you know you have got them all?

Convince me

Year 3

Spot the mistake

six tenths, seven tenths, eight tenths, nine tenths, eleven tenths

… and correct it.

Year 4

What do you notice?

1/10 of 100 = 10

1/100 of 100 = 1

2/10 of 100 = 20

2/100 of 100 = 2

How can you use this to work out 6/10 of 200? 6/100 of 200?

Year 5

True or false?

of a kilometre is 1m.

of 2 kilometres is 2m.

of 3 Kilometres is 3m

0.25 of 3m is 500cm

Year 6

Always, sometimes, never

Is it always, sometimes or never true that the sum of two consecutive triangular numbers is a square number?